Dear friends

When Jesus said ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another’ (John 13:35), he tied together two vital aspects of Christian life.  They are witness and fellowship.  Your witness will be impoverished if you are not in regular loving fellowship with your fellow-Christians.  And your caring support for your fellow-Christians should enable and strengthen your witness to those who as yet have no trust in Christ.  Our love for each other within our churches should cause those with no faith to marvel at God’s power.  Do you see that happening in Yeovil?

This Autumn sees a re-launch for our Fellowship Groups, and many will be taking this opportunity to nurture deeper friendships within the body of our churches.  Thank you to all who have filled in a green form; please be patient as we try to draw up sensible group lists.  It has been the experience of many that Fellowship Groups (and Genesis, Together on Tuesday, Friendship Circle, and other groups too) are fun and exciting, and enrich Christian life and commitment.

In about ten days over 100 of us from both churches will be heading off for the Parish Weekend Away.  Here is another opportunity to make new friends, spend time with old friends, and grow in God together.  Please pray for this weekend, for the practicalities of transport, food, programme, and those organising different aspects.  Pray too for our speaker, Tony Baker and his wife Margaret, and for joyful times of learning from God’s word together.

And September 26th is ‘Back to Church Sunday’ in both churches (and nationally). This is an opportunity to invite friends to church, and especially those who used to be churchgoers at some earlier point in life  Look out for the invitation cards and posters, and please pray for people you could invite.  It is good to work hard at love and fellowship, but it clearly ought to lead to empowered witness to the uncommitted.  We are not supposed to be a family closed in on ourselves, but a family with such love for one another that we are able to draw others in too.

The power of a whirlpool draws water, leaves, sticks and debris closer and closer to the centre, and as it does so it pulls in more that would otherwise float happily by.

With all best wishes – James.